Level: Resort nearby
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This spot is the house reef of the Fort Arabesque Resort, Spa & Villas, one of the large resorts bordering Makadi Bay. This seaside resort is located about 40km south of the city of Hurghada and 30km south of the airport.
To access this spot, the easiest way is to stay at the Fort Arabesque Resort, Spa & Villas, but it seems possible for guests from adjacent hotels to walk freely along the beaches to get to the spot.
Water entrance is from the resort beach. The entry points are marked by buoys, indicating the gaps in the reef flat which allow snorkelers to reach the outer reef without damaging the coral. Beach staff is strict about enforcing the use of those entry points rather than trying to pick one’s way across the flat.
Starting from the shore, you will first cross the shallow reef flat that fringes the beach. Over forty meters, the bottoms are not spectacular, but you can see many small fish at very shallow depths (↕1-3ft/0.5-1m).
You then come to a deeper area, which is the best snorkeling location. Here, dozens of “mini reefs” are scattered on the sandy bottom. Reef tops are in two feet (50cm) or so of water, each ‘mini-reef’ dropping off to between 6-20 feet (2-7m).
The best-preserved reefs are covered with magnificent corals in pink, yellow or bluish tones. Close in, the coral is inevitably affected by the to and fro of people, but a little further out it is in remarkably good health – a testament to the efforts of the hotel to educate people on how to respect the reefs.
Reefs are like an I-spy book of Red Sea fishes – with a large variety and fairly used to snorkelers. The butterflies are in particular very inquisitive. Amongst the most common fish species at reef are the sulphur damselfish, the regal angelfish, the bluecheek butterflyfish, the Red Sea bannerfish, and parrotfish of several species.
By exploring the “mini reefs”, you may also have the chance to surprise a moray eel, an octopus, a lionfish, or a ray. In total, more than a hundred more or less common reef fish species live in Fort Arabesque.
This spot is the house reef of the Fort Arabesque Resort, Spa & Villas, which offers different types of accommodation and several restaurants and bars.
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
Red sea raccoon butterflyfish Chaetodon fasciatus taken 05 March 2023
Added to the species list, many thanks!
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
